7 months

You are growing so fast!! Moving all over the ground!
Guess what!? You're really starting to sleep through the night! You're nursing more on schedule without getting too distracted (most of the time). You are even getting more regular morning/evening naps. You are happier because of it.
You are good for babysitters except for when they put you to bed and they can't stand to hear you cry so they feel sorry for you and rock you to sleep. i don't blame them. Your cry is so so sad and you are so so fun to cuddle and rock to sleep.
You are scooting faster and spending more time on your knees and have quite a determination to get something if you want it.
You sometimes eat 2-3 meals of solids a day. We are graduating you from Bumbo to high chair this week. You still absolutely love your Johhny Jump Up. you're starting to tease your sister by grabbing her hair or clothes as she walks by you in your Jump up and she really doesn't like that.
You mom is still just crazy about you and so is your dad, you sister, and grandpa and boy, just about everyone.
You deserve it. Your spirit is so sweet and I just adore you my lil' Jeffie.
I love you.
Love,
Mom

Scooting and Sleeping

Thriving: Scooting
Still working on: Sleeping

Jeffrey Jeremy Cooper... I am STILL struggling to figure out how to get you to sleep. We have no regular time you sleep, no regular amount of time you sleep and no regular way of getting you to sleep! We've tried letting you cry yourself to sleep in your bed and our bed, swaddling, quiet, noise, binkys, full tummy, singing, rocking, stroking face... You wake up at the blink of an eye if you do fall asleep whether you cry yourself to sleep, fall asleep int he car or fall asleep nursing...
Last night you cried for... well I didn't keep track, by I'm guessing an hour. Dad and I finally used ear plugs. My rule is to get you to sleep for 7 hours or until 6am. Whichever comes first. You were hollering at about 4 1/2 hours. When you finally cried yourself back to sleep I came and got you after TEN HOURS- because my milk was going to burst.
My goal: Get you to fall asleep on your own under 30 minutes, stay asleep for 2 hours, take 2 naps each day, and sleep through the night.

On a happier note- you SCOOT!! We just got it on video as proof. I can't believe it. You have been trying to move for awhile and for over a month you've been rolling all over the room. Now you push yourself forward and reach and lunge yourself and you are on the move. In your Johnny Jump Up this week there were some things by your feet and Dad noticed you scooting back and running forward and kicking the stuff across the room! You are such a boy. Hehe...

I'm pretty much in love with you. I love the way you smell. I love how adorable you are, I love stroking your hair, I love kissing you, I love tickling you, I love your laugh and your smile and everything about you. You are so cute with your sister and with how you play with toys. You are discovering the world and I LOVE watching you  do it.

Haha, yesterday 2 different people asked us if:
1. You and Meriden were twins...
2. You and Meriden were girls... just for the record you didn't have a trace of pink on you. I think it was the long hair.

Oh, and I love your hair.

How to make money as a kid

Jeff, I am so excited to help you make money as a kid.  I have been working on my niche website called howtomakemoneyasakid.com and it will be so much fun to teach you how to make money as a kid.  It will be so cool to see you have multiple streams of passive income that will pay for your mission, college and even after that.  You will be able to build and do whatever you want.  I can only wonder what passions and talents you will have that will direct you in the way you should make money.  I wish I could have started when I was your age.  Maybe in a year or two my site will start making me a passive income.  

Jeff I think I kiss you too much.

Jeff you are such a cute little man.  I always want to kiss your little cheeks.  Today on our hike I saw an awesome place to camp and go fishing.  It was on our hike up the Santaquin narrows.  It will be so much fun when we can go set up a tent up there and fish all day, eat our fish and just enjoy the mountains.

You are so good at the Johnny Jump Up.  You jump around and when I say your name you always turn and look at me.  You are getting the hang of that thing.  You have such a sweet great spirit.  I can tell that you are an elect son of God.  I look forward to working with you in the kingdom of God.

5 1/2 months and growing like a weed!

My dear little Jeffie... or as Meriden has begun calling you Jep-pie or Dep-pie!

Your loving spirit has enhanced the love in our family something fierce. Your smile melts my heart. Your high pitched squeal brings excitement to our family. Your active nature is so fun to watch. Here are some new happenings in your life.
1. You not only have discovered your hands (that happened more then a month ago) but now you use them. Your little pinchers or death grip can get ahold of almost anything and its almost impossible to let go... especially my hair.
2. You still cry yourself to sleep almost every nap. This week we did "The Cry Out". Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. You screamed for at least a good hour during each of those nights. For me it wasn't too bad.  I hear you scream all the time. Don't get me wrong, I did not enjoy it. But I told myself over and over that you have to learn to sleep through the night. Dad struggled. He has finally started wearing ear plugs. Friday night you slept all the way through until about 6:30am. Whew-hoo! Success! But then last night you were screaming. And my milk was full. And I hate that it bothers Dad so much. So I nursed you on the couch for about 30 min and then put you back in bed.
3. You are a very unpredictable eater. It seems like Meriden would eat whenever it was offered to her- be it breast milk or solids. You on the other hand... you're hit and miss. Especially with nursing and especially since you've become very social. You nurse when its been 3+ hours and you are STARVING and then you sometimes (this happens a few times everyday) will then eat about 30 seconds to 3 minutes and then you won't eat anymore. Almost like, I've taken away that starving feeling and now I can't be bothered... grrr, because then you're hungry a short time later. The good news is though that I weighed you yesterday and you weigh 18lbs. I don't think Meriden weighed that until she was 1! We go for your next well check in 2 weeks and we'll see what the doctor says.
4. You have such fun hair. Its like a comb over right on top. I get a lot of comments on your fun hair.
5. You are starting to discover you sister. Meriden has loved you since the day she met you. She has always been so interested in you. If you're crying and I'm in the other room and I come in I'll find her doll, rag, and some rattle all right next to you as she tries everything to share and make you happy. You're finally starting to look at her. Try and touch her face, pull her hair and smile at her. You've been a real trooper with her. You never cry when she sits on you. You rarely cry with anything she does to you- except poking your eye out, then you cry. And that's good. I just know you two will be such good friends.
6. You've become mobile! You scoot, roll and move every way you can. You jump like crazy in your johnny jump up in the kitchen. You somehow get all over the living room rolling but just a little ways frontwards and backwards since your scoots are very small. You love your play mat and play under it a lot. You love to be held.

Son, I just adore you. In the mornings I nurse you real early and then you stay in bed with Dad and I and then Dad gets up and its just me and you. You spit and gurgle and make happy coo noises and then fall back asleep. You look so comfy in our bed. I love snuggling close to you in bed. You smell so sweet and loving. I'm so grateful I get to be your mother. When I look in your eyes I think, "for one so small you seem so strong" (tarzan lyrics) and I do feel like you are already so strong both spiritually and emotionally. You will do great things in your life doing much good for all those around you.

I love you Jeffie.
Love,
Mom

Your Baby Blessing

My little Jeffie,
You have started crying yourself to sleep. It tore me apart the first couple times but now that I've seen that you fall asleep really quite quickly (about 5 minutes) and you sleep more soundly than when I rock you to sleep- I realize its got a lot of benefits.
At 3 months you started standing. You staighten you body and stand straight up looking around like "what's going on?!". Eventually your neck and legs get tired and flop like a little rag doll but you are getting so strong!
Yesterday (3 1/2 months) you rolled over! I was working on my YW lesson and Meriden was asleep so you were lying on the floor on a blanket and you rolled to your side- which you've done a lot lately and then all of a sudden you were on your tummy! You are so strong!

Dad gave you your baby blessing 2 weeks ago -June 30, 2013.
Prayer circle: Doug Oldham, Josh Rittmanic, Jeff Cooper, Jeremy Cooper, Thane Kennedy, Jeremy Meldrum, Tanner Carver
Jeffrey Jeremy Cooper by the power of the Holy Melchezideck Priesthood we come together to give you a name. The name by which you will be known on the records of the church will be Jeffrey Jeremy Cooper. At this time we'd like to give you this blessing. We bless you to be a great example to those around you and to be a strong bearer of the priesthood. You will serve your family and all those around you. We bless you to be a great missionary through out your life and to always share the gospel with those you meet and share your testimony and love. We bless you to stay close to the spirit that it will guide and direct you.Come close to the Savior and rely on Him.  Use the atonement in your life. Your Heavenly Father loves and cares about you very much. We love you. Know that you are loved. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

It was a beautiful blessing. We did it in the Relief Society room at 4pm at Grandpa and Grandma Cooper's building after their ward. For sacrament meeting Harrison Oldham gave his homecoming talk. The Scarbers and Gunsons were there and the Meldrums, Tanner Carvers, Doug and Melissa Oldham and Josh and Megan Rittmanic. On the phone I had a row of 12-13 year olds with a cell phone with Grandpa Burk, Uncle Theron, Uncle Mark, Aunt Jeni and Aunt Jessica and Aunt Rashelle. It was a little chaotic for Mommy but everything turned out great. Afterwards we had chicken haystacks at Grandpa and Grandma Cooper's house and visited. Uncle Thane and Aunt Chelsea announced that they're expecting another baby! And that was cool because at Melody's blessing dinner we had announced that we were pregnant with Meriden.

I love you sweet baby boy. Thank you for making my life so meaningful and sweet.

Love,
Mom

Smiling at 8 weeks!

You started smiling and it is so adorable. You are almost always fussy around 8-10pm each night. Cry really hard with no way of being consoled. You won't nurse even though you're acting hungry. I always feel so bad because I don't know how to help you. You have been letting me sleep ALL NIGHT! 5-9 hours! It has been awesome. You are so sweet and I'm just in love with you. Everyone calls you "mini Steve". haha. Meriden loves you so much adn gets excited every time she seems you. She loves to sit on you and sort of backs up slowly like a semi truck going beep... beep until she gets to his head and lowers herself. But then I save you... thankfully. I just know you are going to be the best of friends.